The owner of ABC Learning Childcare & Preschool designed their site so it’s easy to navigate and clutter free. Keep in mind, when building a business website, less can really be more.

A lot of website owners that are starting out and learning about how to make a website encounter the problem of wanting to showcase everything they have all at once. This can lead to a cluttered, disorganized website that is visually unappealing. Having too many elements on one page makes it difficult for website visitors to grasp the purpose of your website and the key message that you want to convey. Too many elements can also negatively impact your website design. In a recent survey, we found that design is often seen as the most important factor in creating a good website.

Think about some of the business websites you visit on regular basis. Most of them, we bet, are simple, direct and focused. Remember, you only have a few precious seconds to make a good first impression with your small business website, and the best way to do that is with a clean and simple design that clearly shows what your site is about at a glance. If your site is full of clutter and the user is confused and overwhelmed, they will just go to a competitor rather than trying to sort through what your business is about.

So how do you create a clutter free website while showcasing your strengths?

1. Remove the Ads

A free website is great and we have lots of loyal customers that are very happy with their free website. However, if you are serious about making a good first impression for your business, you should strongly consider upgrading to a premium site so that the ads are removed. The added benefit of this is the option to get a custom domain that also helps make your small business website distinctive.

2. Select Few But Strong Images

Using a single stunning image or a photo carousel instead of putting lots of images on any one page can make a strong impression. Showing one great image or a photo gallery with one image displayed at a time has a much greater impact than a bunch of smaller images. Images will also have a strong impact on your visitor’s shopping experience in your online store. Allow your products to shine with clear, stunning product images that express the value of the product. If you are interested in learning more about how to use photography to improve your website, check out this blog post.

3. Create a Visual Hierarchy

Visual hierarchy is the order in which the visitors read/see your website. According to Wikipedia, this order is created by the visual contrast between forms in a field of perception. Objects with highest contrast to their surroundings are recognized first by the human mind. To create the right order on which images you should focus, decide what your goals are and organize your page accordingly.There are several important factors to visual hierarchy:

Size — it does matter and the eye is drawn to the largest first.

Color — Use color to emphasize and share your personality. Keep in mind to use complementary colors. If you are not sure about which colors to use, check out how colors can impact purchases.

Space — Never underestimate the power of white space (blank space) on your home page, it will help everything else stand out.

Alignment — Where something is on the page and the relationship between other page elements can make content stand out.

Repetition — Too much of it and your content gets lost. So try to focus on the most important information.

Contrast — Shifts in color, size or background can highlight the main content.

Make sure that your homepage contains only essential content that makes the purpose of your business website clear. Use the other pages on your website to provide further details of who, what, when, where and why.

Aspiring Surgeons of America (ASA) is an association exclusively designed for scholars throughout the nation who are interested in pursuing careers in the medical field. The primary goal of the ASA is to provide high school students with the knowledge and information that is necessary to help guide them towards the medical profession and field in which they wish to pursue. The main formation of the ASA will take place during the 2012 – 2013 school year, to support high school students as they prepare to make the difficult descision of choosing thier future occupations. The association will have monthly meetings take place with its most active members at Lehigh Valley Academy in Bethlehem, PA. During these monthly meetings, members will learn about the different areas of medicine, discuss current news and topics in the medical field, learn about the many different and interesting occupations in healthcare, and possibly have an opportunity to meet local physicians and ask them questions about their occupations or just about medicine/healthcare in general.

The ASA would greatly appreciate being featured in next week’s edition of Example Site Wednesdays.